Safety performance
Our target is zero injuries or accidents for all our locations for both employees and contractors.
Here you'll find our latest annual safety results, as set out in our 2010 Annual Report. The figures are for calendar year 2009.
Overview
The Group continued to make progress in safety performance in the 2009 calendar year, with improvements in all areas with the exception of the severity rate (lost workdays) which worsened by 18%. Following significant improvements in 2008, our contractor safety index worsened by 28% in 2009. This will be a major area of focus in 2010.
Employee safety results for the 2009 calendar year
- Group safety index (weighted average of injuries sustained in the workplace across Tate & Lyle, with more severe incidents having greater impact) improved by 3%;
- Recordable injury rate (injury requiring treatment beyond first aid) improved by 33%;
- Lost-time accident rate (recordable injury sufficiently severe to result in lost workdays or to restrict the employee’s ability to perform his/her job) improved by 17%; and
- Severity rate (number of workdays lost due to injuries per 200,000 employee hours) worsened by 18%.
Most Group locations equalled or improved on their 2008 safety performance, including 19 locations that reported no recordable injuries and 24 that reported no lost-time accidents for the year. Overall, we were pleased that our results showed good progress compared to 2008, with the exception of the severity rate which worsened. Actions are being taken to reduce the severity rate in 2010 primarily through a focus on training, behavioural auditing, and continuous reviews of physical conditions and programmes at each site.
Benchmarking results
In comparing the performance of each of our divisions with results from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (2008 being the most recent data available), again this year our divisions are outperforming the average reported standard for their peers in their respective sectors and in the US private sector as a whole.
Contractor safety results for the 2009 calendar year
Following significant improvements in 2008, we were disappointed that our contractor safety index worsened by 28% in 2009, impacted in particular by a 50% worsening of the severity rate (lost workdays).
In the 2009 calendar year, compared with the 2008 results:
- Contractor safety index worsened by 28%;
- Recordable injury rate improved by 26%;
- Lost-time accident rate improved by 2%; and
- Severity rate worsened by 50%.
Contractor safety is a major focus in 2010. At our larger sites we are introducing a new contractor review system to evaluate contractor safety performance on a monthly basis. We will also hold regular safety meetings with contractors to explain safety expectations, and accountability for safety performance will be a factor in contractor selection and site maintenance.
Benchmarking results
While we were disappointed with our contractor safety performance in 2009, our results nonetheless compare well with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2008 (the most recent data available). The Bureau reports the overall recordable injury rate per 200,000 employee hours for US contractors to be 4.7 against 1.42 at Tate & Lyle, and the overall lost-time accident rate to be 2.5 against our rate of 0.75.
